ISTANBUL

China on Friday launched its sixth crewed flight mission into space with three astronauts, including its youngest-ever astronaut, and four mice onboard.

Shenzhou-21 was launched at around midnight from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China.

The three astronauts, also known locally as taikonauts, are the spacecraft pilot/mission commander Zhang Lu, flight engineer Wu Fei, and payload specialist Zhang Hongzhang.

The taikonauts are also carrying four mice, including two males and two females, to China’s Tiangong space station for the first time to carry out experiments, according to the state-run Global Times.

The in-orbit scientific experiments will include examining the effects of space conditions, such as microgravity and enclosed space, on the behavior of these animals.

Scientists will also study the effects of the space environment on the organs and tissues of mice after they return to Earth.

The taikonauts will also examine the relationship between the origin of the genetic code and molecular chirality in space, exploring the selectivity among different chiral combinations of amino acids and nucleotides.

While in orbit, the Shenzhou-21 crew will carry out 27 new scientific and applied research projects during their six-month stay in key scientific areas, including space life science and biotechnology and aerospace medicine.

Shenzhou-21’s planned experiments are expected to provide valuable data for future scientific research and further in-orbit applications.

Meanwhile, the Shenzhou-20 crew has been in orbit for 188 days. The commander of the Shenzhou-20 crew, Chen Dong, has become the first Chinese astronaut to spend more than 400 days in space, as well as the Chinese astronaut with the most spacewalks to date, with six extravehicular activities under his belt.